Hirschi Family of Schangnau, Bern, Switzerland, by Julius Billeter, Genealogist, October 1919.

Guide to Canton Bern ancestry, family history and genealogy: nascency records, union records, decease records, census records, parish registers, and military machine records.

Switzerland Wiki Topics
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Switzerland Background
Biography Church building History Cultural Groups French Word List Gazetteers German Give-and-take Listing Handwriting Historical Geography	History Italian Word Listing Languages Maps Personal Names Websites For Further Reading
Local Inquiry Resources
Athenaeum & Libraries Societies Family unit History Centers

Getting Started [edit | edit source]

If y'all are new to Swiss research, y'all should watch this introductory course. Then study the articles on church building records and civil registration, equally most all of your research will be in those ii record groups.

• Introduction to Swiss Enquiry
• Switzerland Civil Registration
• Switzerland Church Records

History [edit | edit source]

In 1353, Bern joined the Swiss Confederacy, condign one of the 8 cantons of the formative flow of 1353 to 1481.
Bern invaded and conquered Aargau in 1415 and Vaud in 1536, as well as other smaller territories and go the largest city-state north of the Alps by the 18th century.
Bern was occupied by French troops in 1798 during the French Revolutionary Wars, when it was stripped of parts of its territories. It regained control of the Bernese Oberland in 1802, and following the Congress of Vienna of 1814, it newly caused the Bernese Jura. At this time, it once again became the largest canton of the Confederacy equally it stood during the Restoration and until the secession of the canton of Jura in 1979. Bern was fabricated the Federal City within the new Swiss federal state in 1848.
Bern is a German speaking county.

Bern (Wikipedia)

Parishes and Municipalities in County Bern [edit | edit source]

nether structure

• Aarberg
• Aarwangen
• Abländschen
• Adelboden
• Aeschi bei Spiez
• Affoltern im Emmental
• Albligen
• Amsoldingen
• Arch
• Bargen
• Bätterkinden
• Beatenberg
• Belp
• Bern
• Bévilard
• Biel / Bienne
• Biglen
• Bleienbach
• Blumenstein
• Bolligen
• Boltigen
• Bremgarten bei Bern
• Brienz
• Brügg
• Buchholterberg
• Bümpliz
• Büren an der Aare
• Burgdorf
• Bürglen
• Corgémont
• Court
• Courtelary
• Därstetten
• Diemtigen
• Diessbach bei Büren
• Diesse
• Dürrenroth
• Eggiwil
• Eriswil
• Erlach
• Erlenbach im Simmental
• Ferenbalm
• Frauenkappelen
• Frutigen
• Gadmen
• Gampelen
• Gerzensee
• Gottstatt
• Grafenried
• Grandval
• Grindelwald
• Grossaffoltern
• Grosshöchstetten
• Gsteig bei Gstaad
• Gsteig
• Guggisberg
• Gurzelen
• Guttannen
• Habkern
• Hasle bei Burgdorf
• Heimiswil
• Herzogenbuchsee
• Hilterfingen
• Hindelbank
• Huttwil
• Innertkirchen
• Ins
• Jegenstorf
• Kallnach
• Kandergrund
• Kappelen
• Kirchberg
• Kirchdorf
• Kirchlindach
• Köniz
• Koppigen
• Krauchthal
• Kurzenberg
• La Ferrière
• La Neuveville
• Langenthal
• Langnau im Emmental
• Lauenen
• Laupen
• Lauperswil
• Lauterbrunnen
• Leissigen
• Lengnau
• Lenk im Simmental
• Limpach
• Lotzwil
• Lützelflüh
• Lyss
• Madiswil
• Malleray
• Meikirch
• Meinisberg
• Meiringen
• Melchnau
• Moutier
• Mühleberg
• Mühlethurnen
• Münchenbuchsee
• Münsingen
• Muri bei Bern
• Neuenegg
• Nidau
• Niederbipp
• Nods
• Oberbalm
• Oberbipp
• Oberburg
• Oberdiessbach
• Oberwil bei Büren
• Oberwil im Simmental
• Orvin
• Pieterlen
• Péry
• Radelfingen
• Rapperswil
• Reichenbach im Kandertal
• Renan
• Reutigen
• Ringgenberg
• Roggwil
• Rohrbach
• Röthenbach im Emmental
• Rüderswil
• Rüeggisberg
• Rüegsau
• Rüschegg
• Rüti bei Büren
• Rüti bei Lyssach
• Saanen
• Saint-Imier
• Sankt Stephan
• Schangnau
• Schwarzenegg
• Schüpfen
• Seeberg
• Seedorf
• Signau
• Sigriswil
• Siselen
• Sonvilier
• Sornetan
• Spiez
• Steffisburg
• Stettlen
• Sumiswald
• Täuffelen
• Tavannes
• Thierachern
• Thun
• Thunstetten
• Trachselwald
• Tramelan
• Trub
• Trubschachen
• Twann
• Unterseen
• Ursenbach
• Utzensdorf
• Vauffelin
• Vechigen
• Vinelz
• Wahlern
• Walkringen
• Walperswil
• Walterswil
• Wangen an der Aare
• Wattenwil
• Wengi
• Wichtrach
• Wileroltigen
• Wimmis
• Wohlen
• Worb
• Wyl
• Wynau
• Wynigen
• Zimmerwald
• Zweisimmen

Compiled Genealogies [edit | edit source]

Master article: Julius Billeter 1869 - 1957

Many genealogies of canton Bern families have been researched by Julius Billeter. Nearly 2 million people will be institute in his works.

• Canton Bern, Personal Pages on Swiss Families

Civil Registration Online [edit | edit source]

• 1792-1876 - Switzerland, Bern, Civil Registration, 1792-1876 at FamilySearch — index and images. See also:Switzerland, Bern, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records
  

• To understand the records available, read the Wiki article, Switzerland Civil Registration.

Church Records [edit | edit source]

Church Records Online [edit | edit source]

Bern parish church records have been digitized online and can be accessed in the following ways:

• The Bern archive has published low-quality scans of the church records. Click on the plus next to Kirchenbücher and select your parish. So double-click on the volume based on the description. Click on the .pdf link to access the full PDF file of the church volume.
• FamilySearch has also digitized the church records. These can be accessed in the following ways:
  • Some FamilySearch Wiki Bern parish pages have straight links to the church volumes.
  • The FamilySearch Catalog (click on Places within Switzerland, Bern to select the parish). There may be restrictions on viewing these records.
  • The FamilySearch Historical Collection Schweiz, Kirchenbücher, 1277-1992 is organized past parish, but the system within each parish is difficult to navigate. See also: Using the Online Bern Church Records
    If possible, access the records through the FamilySearch Itemize for better descriptions of the records.

Indexes [edit | edit source]

There are fractional indexes of church building records on FamilySearch. They can be accessed in these collections:

• Switzerland, Baptisms, 1491-1940. FamilySearch Historical Records. Index. Incomplete.
• Switzerland, Baptisms, 1491-1940. MyHeritage.com, ($). Alphabetize. Incomplete.
• Switzerland, Baptisms, 1491-1940. Ancestry.com, ($). Index. Incomplete.
• Switzerland, Marriages, 1532-1910. FamilySearch Historical Records. Index. Incomplete.
• Switzerland, Marriages, 1532-1910. My Heritage.com, ($). Alphabetize. Incomplete.
• Switzerland, Marriages, 1532-1910. Beginnings.com, ($). Incomplete. Index.
• Switzerland Burials, 1613-1875. FamilySearch Historical Records Alphabetize. Incomplete.
• Switzerland Burials, 1613-1875. MyHeritage. ($). Alphabetize. Incomplete.
• Switzerland Burials, 1613-1875. Ancestry.com. Incomplete. Index. ($).

For information on the coverage and content of church records, read Switzerland Church Records..

FamilySearch Microfilmed/Digitized Records [edit | edit source]

All microfilmed parish records accept been digitized. These records may take a restriction for use only at a Family unit History Center near you.

Instructions:

1. Click on Switzerland, Bern FamilySearch Itemize.
2. Open the listing "Places within Switzerland, Bern". Select your town.
3. A listing of record categories volition open up. Click on "Church records".
4. A list of available records will appear. Click on the record championship yous are interested in searching.
5. Scroll down to the list of microfilm numbers. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. . The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the photographic camera will have y'all to an online digital copy of the microfilm.

Reading the Records [edit | edit source]

• German Genealogical Word Listing
• Swiss Dialect Genealogical Word List
• German Paleography Seminar - Lessons on German Handwriting
• Erstwhile German Script
  • Office i
  • Function 2
  • Part 3 (High german Church and Civil Records)

Search Strategy [edit | edit source]

This search strategy volition help you determine what to write for. Limit tour requests to just ane of these steps at a fourth dimension. One time you have established that the parish is cooperative and perhaps more than willing to exercise more extensive research (for a fee), yous might be able to ask them for more at a time.

• Search for the relative or antecedent you selected.
• When you find his birth tape, search for the births of his brothers and sisters.
• Next, search for the marriage of his parents. The spousal relationship record volition have information that will often help y'all discover the birth records of the parents.
• You tin can estimate the ages of the parents and determine a nascence year to search for their nativity records.
• Search the death registers for all known family members.
• Repeat this process for both the father and the mother, starting with their birth records, then their siblings' births, and then their parents' marriages, and and so on.
• If earlier generations (parents, grandparents, etc.) do non appear in the records, search neighboring parishes.

Inquiry Tools [edit | edit source]

• Switzerland Bern Gazetteers, a list of municipalities (ceremonious communities) and respective parishes in County Bern.
• Swiss Genealogy on the Net, links to various resource and indexes.

coonwilegire.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Canton_Bern,_Switzerland_Genealogy

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